I remember when I used to be able to be lazy with my HTML. It’s strange how people are now far stricter over HTML as they used to be – you would think it wouldn’t be slow. Now many sites don’t accept lazilily formed HTML.

When I started web design when I wanted a new paragraph I could be lazy and use <p> just at the beginning of a paragraph, now I need to close it at the end of each paragraph too. This is far stricter HTML, but you would think HTML would become far less strict and far more casual instead of the opposite.

Also, people are trying to replace short tags with longer ones, why? Using <b> is more convinient than <strong>, and <i> is easier than <em>, so why is <strong> and <em> gaining popularity? It’s beyond me.

Personally, I don’t like CSS, I use it though. I’m a bit of an old schooler as I think tables are best for layout, CSS for colours etc. Perhaps it is because of CSS that people are becoming stricter and also perhaps because of so many new browsers and ensuring compatibility between them. Still, IE can’t seem to handle CSS.

People also seem to want to get W3C strict certifications. But why? As long as it loads does it matter? In my view no, but then again designers and developers do like been precise.

Following Google offering all you lucky souls in the US a dollar for getting people to download Firefox (and Google Toolbar) a campaign has being started which tells webmasters to pester their readers to get Firefox. I think this is wrong. Explorer Destroyer is this campaign.

Level 1: Gentle Encouragement Rating: $$

Visitors using IE see a message encouraging them to download Firefox (with a download link) running across the top of the page.

 Level 2: Semi-serious Rating: $$$$

 Visitors using IE get a friendly splash page encouraging them to download Firefox. There’s a download link, and a link to continue on to your site.

Level 3: Dead serious Rating: $$$$$$

You’ve never considered blocking IE users from viewing your site, even though you hate IE with a passion that burns hotter than Hades. Now you have a practical excuse to do what you’ve always dreamed of. IE users will see a friendly message stating that they need to download and install Firefox to view your site. This script will do the most good and make you the most money. Can you handle it? (At least try it for a day to see how good it feels.)

Nobody likes nag-screens, or forced downloads. Do we want to give Mozilla Firefox a bad name by doing this? Have you ever downloaded something from a pop-up? No? Why? Because it’s unprofessional?

The best way to market a product isn’t to force people get it.

Choice. Choice is freedom. Firefox is about freedom; not money. This scheme could make some people serious money; especially if people downloaded it. But would you download it by force.

Imagine you get, let’s say, 500 UV visits from IE a month. You could get $500 – but you wouldn’t. Most of these people would like to see your site, but wouldn’t download something especially to do so. Realistically you would get perhaps $20 from this.

Many sites require IE. I don’t like them. Do you know what I do? Report them to SFX and take my business elsewhere. If you do this, potential customers will take their business elsewhere.

But what about people with restrictive rights which don’t let them download Firefox? Libraries, school networks, limited users? Forget them? Well you shouldn’t. Personally, I wouldn’t like to lose these people. Still, some people don’t seem to care.

I’ve created a site spoofing and laughing at Explorer Destroyer called: Destroy Explorer Destroyer.

Yesterday, amongst the various other things I did was to customise Windows Classic, my preferred theme for Windows XP. I’ve customised it so the colours are used. I think I’ve done a good job; am I right?

(click to enlarge)

It was pretty easy, but I think it looks nifty. Anyway, if you want it feel free to download it. (File Attachment: My Theme.theme (5 KB))

Also, last night I tried to learn Ruby, and I didn’t know where to start. I have Ruby installed, and I’m familiar with the Command Shell, I’m just not use to Ruby’s folder structure.

I shall make a better post tomorrow

Mozilla Firefox is one today. This time, last year, Mozilla’s browser Firefox was brought into a proper stable release: 1.0 . I hoped Firefox 1.5s release would clash with this birthday; but it didn’t (a week more or so is my guess).

“One year ago Firefox was not even released yet — the world was a big promise and we still had to deliver. One year later we have delivered and have conquered market share in an amazing way. The numbers are really impressive,”

Tristan Nitot, President of Mozilla Europe

The celebrations are going to be low-key as Mozilla’s developers are busy fixing Firefox so 1.5 will be out sooner, so they don’t have time to create a celebration compared to the Firefox 1.0 parties. I don’t have a problem with this, but I think it’s a shame.

I’ve used Firefox since version 0.9.2, about July 8th 2004. Doesn’t seem very long ago – but my days since with the happiness of Firefox has seemed so long. I remember IE, and how slow it was and I wonder How did I live?

The shocking thing is ~80–90% of people still use M$ IE, and many are very reluctant to leave due to the reasons discussed in Rethinking Firefox Marketing . My sites figures are very different, but this is understandable as I get mainly techies here.

Firefox is doing well anyway. The target for the end of year usage for Firefox was 10%, and it’s already over this according to XiTi, though some other stats put it at 8%. Nonetheless, a great result. This target was set by Bart Decrem, Tristan Nitot didn’t expect it to reach this though!

I’m not planning on creating a big celebration, but it would be nice to see some others blogging this.

(via.)

Today one of my dreams came true, an article I submitted got on the frontpage of Digg! Digg is a site like Slashdot, just far more user-ran, articles get diggs and if you get a certain amount of diggs you get on the front-page – on Slashdot an editor get’s the final say. Digg also looks prettier, Slashdot has an awful colour scheme. Digg is far easier to read.

Lots of competition is going on between Digg and Slashdot at the moment, but Slashdot is old and doesn’t have the new Web 2 ideas Digg has. Digg will win this fight, but won’t replace Slashdot.

A famous thing about Slashdot is the Slashdot Effect, but the same now happens with Digg. This effect involves thousands of people rushing to a website. Every website wants to be Digged or Slashdotted – because the hits will be so great.

Anyway, I’m quite happy. Digg is a real popular site, and my story has had 250 diggs, this means 250 people like my story . The story I submitted was simply a link to LinuxTracker, which I mentioned last week. You could support me by digging more of my stories , you can see them here . Now go and register at Digg and digg ‘em, if you want. (You can see the actual Digg story here)